Chapter 37 A crack in the glass
Hazel
A war cry erupts behind me before an army of demons, centaurs, and dragons charges ahead in an unstoppable wave.
I take point. The terrain is more familiar to me than anyone else, and though it gives me an advantage, it’s hard to push past the memories clawing at me.
I move through smoke and fire, blade steady in my grip, blood roaring in my ears.
While the others kept Tiberius distracted, Jackson tore down the kingdoms’ defenses, clearing the way for us to storm in.
We had to be careful because we knew it would be hard to manipulate a trickster, but I’m glad we outplayed him.
Rage burns through me, thick and suffocating. The urge to be as far as possible from this kingdom chokes me, but I can’t leave. There’s too much unfinished business.
Tiberius needs to die tonight, along with anyone standing by him.
This kingdom needs a good purging. Burn it all to ash and start over.
If Anxo weren’t so against it, I’d level this fucking place. I’d probably be doing the entire supernatural world a favor anyway.
I knew the second they heard the blast, the entire kingdom would know we’re here, but what comes next surprises me.
I expected warriors charging at us from the opposite side, but not this many.
Eldoris has grown. By a lot.
Tiberius has been preparing. Now it makes sense why he was so confident the day he emerged from the shadows. He really thinks he can bring the entire supernatural world to its knees.
They outnumber us ten to one. Their numbers are way more than any of us could’ve predicted, but our warriors don’t hesitate, charging straight at the enemy.
The numbers don’t matter. We’re the Tetrad kingdom with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse leading us. They have no idea who they are up against.
Eldoris used to mean something once upon a time. It was the only place for merfolk, a symbol of strength and community, but all of it went down the drain when the reins fell into the wrong hands.
Akihiko and I split just before impact. He veers off, leading his half of the warriors to form a tight circle around the battlefield, cutting off our enemies before they can even reach the front lines.
Arrows start raining from above, flying in every direction as both sides scramble to secure the higher ground.
Seiji and Akihiko answer with spiraling winds, mini tornadoes that rip mermen off their feet, knotting bodies together before hurling them far from the fight.
But Scylla, massive creature of the sea, floods in next, their mind numb from siren songs. Twelve-foot beasts with too many heads and too many teeth force us to step back and figure out how to break past them.
It takes a dozen fighters to bring down just one. If we don’t get them under control, our numbers will start bleeding fast.
It feels wrong to harm them when they don’t even know what they’re doing, but at this point, it’s them or us.
We almost ruled out including our dragon fleets, but I’m glad Harvey had the foresight to keep a few fleets nearby for backup. Now the Scyllas are up against dragons with no way to douse the fire under the dome.
The tide quickly shifts in our favor, but before I can celebrate, an explosion of light fractures above us.
Shards of glowing blue ice rain down from the sky like spears, crackling with energy as they tear through the air, turning the battlefield into a storm of raw, unstoppable power.
Massive shards slam into the ground, pinning warriors like insects, their life draining out in seconds.
I know Nevaeh will resurrect our fallen, but she won’t be able to do anything if there’s no body left to put the soul back in.
Dean’s reapers move fast, coming to the rescue. Their shadows swallow the warriors before teleporting them out of harm’s way.
Soon enough, Eldoris runs out of magical spears, and we figure out the patterns, dodging them easily.
What kind of strategist made this play so easily calculable?
When Nevaeh promised she’d hold down an army for me one day, I didn’t think she meant it like this.
Every step I take, she is three steps ahead of me, clearing a path straight to Tiberius. It reminds me of when we took down Visha’s minions, and I was the one helping her.
Nevaeh is chaos unleashed, her Divine tearing through merwarriors in half as they try to flee when they realize their songs don’t work on her, thanks to the blood seal on her wrist.
She spins the double-edged spear in the air like an extension of her arm.
I knew it was the best choice for her. It’s similar to Dean’s scythe but gives her enough room to attack from both sides. It’s good practice for when she inherits the scythe one day.
Nevaeh flings a man behind her without looking, and I’m impressed by her aim when he lands right at my feet.
I drop low and drive both my blades in, one in his throat, the other through his heart. Between the two of us, we leave no space for anyone to slither past.
When I glance up, she gives me a thumbs-up with a proud grin.
“I don’t get why they call you crazy. You’re fucking lethal, sharky.”
I shake my head with a laugh, flicking the blood off my blades, then wiping the rest on my thigh.
I hate spoiling my shiny blades with filthy merblood, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
A warrior charges from my right. I turn just in time to slide between his legs before turning around to stab the backs of his thighs. I jump to my feet and finish it by slicing his throat.
I feel him before I hear his voice behind me. “That’s my girl!”
Dean circles me, eyes dragging over the blood splattered on me, the bodies scattered around me, and still looks at me like I’m the most tempting thing he’s ever seen.
I’m jumping into his arms before I think. It’s only been a few hours since I last saw him, but it feels like an eternity.
I pull back, and my heart drops when I see the dried blood on his face.
“Dean—”
Before I can say anything, he cuts me off with a kiss, lips savoring me like he’s taking his time to remind me all the chaos around us is temporary.
In the end, it’s just us.
He pulls back with a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
He’s worried.
We’re not done. Not even close. I haven’t even seen Tiberius yet.
Dean rests his forehead against mine, breathing me in. “You’ve got this.”
His words wash over me like a protective spell, every nerve in my body shaking loose at his confidence in me.
Akihiko skids to a stop beside us, breath ragged. “After this, I’m retiring. I’m tired of going to war with assholes every year.”
“If you’re quitting, I want out too.” Dean yanks a warrior by his scuff and hurls him into a group running toward us, making them drop like bowling balls. “I’m not dealing with whiney humans forever.”
His face scrunches like he’s going to throw up.
He’s my fated mate, and I love him to death… but what a dramatic bitch.
“Is it really that bad?” Nevaeh asks.
“I’m a little scared of being in charge now.” Seiji wraps an arm around Nevaeh and yanks her aside as an arrow pierces a warrior’s head who was coming up behind her.
Nevaeh glances back at Anxo perched on a dry mountain and blows him a kiss.
“No, no, it’s amazing. The title, power, ring… life-changing stuff.” Akihiko smiles, his lips stretching so wide it’s creepy to look.
Seiji and Nevaeh exchange a look, and I can tell they won’t be taking over the throne any time soon.
I’m laughing when my eyes fall on the man running towards Dean, getting dangerously close. And then everything stops.
Zale.
I move in front of my mate, ready for whatever he tries, but then the strangest thing happens.
Two warriors slam into Zale at once. When he flips over before ripping their hearts out with his bare hands, my jaw drops.
What the fuck is he doing? Tiberius will kill him if he finds out Zale killed his men.
I remember the signature of Tiberius’ Divine. I’d recognize it anywhere. And as I watch Zale rise to his feet and start moving towards us like a man on a mission, I catch hints of that same power exuding from him, but it’s magnified in a way that shouldn’t be possible.
I’ve never felt power like this from one of us. His deep blue Divine is magnanimous but controlled, following Zale’s every command.
None of Tiberius’ children is supposed to have power like this. The Fate’s punishment is whispered in the kingdom but never spoken out loud.
They crippled his bloodline, made sure all his successors were born weak.
But Zale isn’t weak. Not even close.
So what changed?
Dean follows my gaze. And as if he can feel my eyes on him, Zale’s head snaps toward me. His steps falter, then speed up. His movements are jerky, like he’s not thinking anymore.
I expect Dean to strike, but he doesn’t. He just stops Zale with a hand on his chest, holding him from coming any closer.
Then it clicks. He wasn’t coming for Dean… he was coming for me.
“Not now,” Dean murmurs, making Zale blink, snapping out of his daze.
He nods, then gives me a look that, for some reason, pinches my heart. Like I’m supposed to know why he’s here.
Being near him again feels… familiar. I always felt like I could breathe freely when he was around, but I can’t trust that instinct anymore.
A lot has changed since I last saw him.
Before he turns away, I swear his eyes turn glassy, but then he’s off, barking orders at warriors who are following him instead of Tiberius, taking down their own people.
Is he… helping us? Why?
Dean turns to me, and the guilt on his face makes it hard to swallow.
“You know him.” It’s not a question. They looked very familiar with each other.
“Elijah has chosen him as Eldoris’ next king. He’s the only heir Tiberius couldn’t corrupt.”
The only one worth saving.
He’s hiding something back. I can feel it.
But Dean never hides anything from me. I have to beg him to keep some things to himself, but he always ends up blurting out whatever he’s thinking.
I don’t like that he’s keeping secrets, but I take a breath and shove it down for now before it starts competing with what’s important right now.
“He’s on our side?” I hate how badly I want that to be true.
The boy I knew could’ve been a great king with the right guidance. If he were able to hold onto even a fraction of the kindness from when he was young, I know he’ll be a far better leader than Tiberius ever could be.
At least with the Diablo Towers watching, Eldoris won’t fall the same way again, even if Zale isn’t the right fit.
Dean starts to answer, but we’re hit with a powerful blast of Divine. The impact leaves us on our knees, trying to find our footing again.
And then I see him.
Tiberius walks through the smoke and corpses, his eyes fixed on me.
Seeing him after a decade makes me freeze in place. He smirks, stopping right in front of me before his hand reaches to grab me.
But my mate catches his wrist.
“You don’t get to touch her.” Dean’s voice drops to something dangerous, then his shadows hurl Tiberius back, and he hits the ground hard.
As his warriors close in, Tiberius snarls, “Finish Zale. I’ll take care of her.”
They don’t wait another second before taking off after Zale.
Tiberius pushes to his feet, but I’m already turning to Dean. “You need to go. Protect Zale.”
Dean goes to protest, but I cut him off. “Dean, none of this means anything if Zale is dead. He needs to take over the throne. He’s the key to freeing Eldoris.”
In that moment, I realize just how true my words are.
The King of Hell can put his best candidate on the throne, and the kingdom would continue to fall. Eldoris needs one of their own to pull them out of this darkness.
I know in my gut that convincing merfolk for a regime change is going to be a walk in the park if the warriors who think Tiberius is their lord and savior are dealt with tonight.
If they’re willing to die for him, then my Reaper needs to grant their wish, or they won’t let Zale take over peacefully.
He’s hesitating. I know he doesn’t want to leave me alone with Tiberius, but I’m not alone, am I?
I’m surrounded by people willing to risk their lives for me.
Dean grabs the back of her, pressing his forehead to mine. “Be careful, okay? You’re not allowed to die. I mean it. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life mourning my mate. Do what you need to do, but come back to me. Promise me you’ll come back to me.”
“I will. I promise.”
His hands shake as he holds my face, pressing a kiss to my lips, saying more than words can express.
“I love you, hellfire.”
“I know.”
He huffs a laugh, but I pull him in, kissing him harder. “I love you, Reaper.”
Dean pulls back painfully slow, his eyes shining with fear of what comes next, before he turns and runs to Zale.
I whisper a prayer to Lucifer, asking him to keep my mate safe.
I’ll need him to keep my days bright once I leave this place behind.
Because I’m not done loving him yet.